Gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Pastor Tonye Cole, has called on aggrieved members of the party in the state to sheath their swords and work towards the victory of the party in the 2019 general election.
Recall that the APC governorship candidate on Friday received the party’s flag during the South-South zonal campaign rally in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, which was attended by President Muhammadu Buhari and other national leaders of the party.
The Tonye Cole Campaign Organization (TCCO), in a statement issued in Port Harcourt by its spokesman, Hon. Ogbonna Nwuke, described the presentation of the flag to the governorship candidate as “the highest endorsement by the party”.
The statement reads in part: “The Tonye Cole Campaign Organisation believes that the official presentation of the flag to the authentic candidate of the party in Rivers State should put an end to the deliberate spread of all kinds of falsehood.
“In the last few weeks, some persons within and outside our party have embarked on the misinformation of Rivers people in a bid to cause confusion and public disaffection.
“These people have been claiming without any iota of truth that the APC in Rivers State has no candidate. They have also been trying desperately to shape public perception in line with a non existent ruling allegedly given by the Supreme Court.
“No such decision has been taken to the best of our knowledge. We can only conclude that the idea of the purported court ruling, is a product of the imagination of those who are peddling the rumour.
“Going by what has transpired in Uyo, it is now crystal clear to all discerning minds that the Rivers APC has candidates at all levels, including a gubernatorial candidate recognised at the highest level of the party who would drive the APC’s campaign effort.
“It is our view that it is time for all who belong to our great party to close ranks. As members of the APC, we are bond by a common affirmity. We must demonstrate that party cohesion and party unity is much more paramount than our individual interests. We believe there is more which can unite rather than separate us.”
